CHAPPELLI ON SLEDGING: WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE
I stumbled on this video defence of the verbal tactics used by Ian Chappell’s Australian team of the mid-to-late 1970s. They were tough bastards. And England captain, Tony Greig, was probably tougher than them all.
More on the topic, here’s an extract from a Peter Roebuck piece in the London Times from November 2002.
Peter Roebuck: Aussies must have last word
Sunday November 03 2002,
Sledging is a way of life in Australia, an assertion of masculinity that is generally not meant to be taken seriously. It s
tarted as a rejection of the stiff-upper-lip attitude and has become a tactic that plays a part in the performances of a national team which, it is worth remembering, also bats and bowls exceptionally well.
Aussies sledge in their backyard matches, in the surf and, obviously, in parliament. Some of it is amusing, as when a fast bowler, frustrated by beating Dean Waugh — a younger brother of the twins — five times in succession stopped at the end of his run and called out: “You must have been adopted.” I also seem to recall a certain Merv Hughes sending for a deckchair while fielding at mid-off to your correspondent.
Of course, Australian crowds join in the fun, and those located in the public seats enjoy passing on their comments to visiting teams. “Yabba” was the most celebrated of the larrikins in the stands, a rabbit salesman whose booming cries echoed across the ground. Seeing a batsman scoring slowly, Yabba called out to the umpire, by day a reader of gasometers: “Put a penny in, George, he’s stopped registering.”
Australians can be narrow-minded, especially in their view of sport. To them, the field is a separate place where men are tested and upon which anything goes. After the match, they like to shake hands and share a beer and are mightily offended when opponents refuse to oblige. Australians are also sensitive to suggestions that they are unsportsmanlike or that they hit below the belt.
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Australians have mixed feelings about their national team. Many spectators and players could not care less about the supposed aggression, pointing out that directness is expected from Australians, and anyhow, words cannot break bones. Some locals, though, regard their team as bad-mannered and refuse to support them. Despite their continued success and the inclusion of dashing and uncluttered cricketers such as Brett Lee and Adam Gilchrist, the team does not command universal support.
Despite their protestations to the contrary, Waugh’s team sledges to break down opponents. Mostly it is just the usual byplay, informing batsmen that 11 Australians are sniffing blood. The best Australian teams hunt in a pack.
Nowadays all teams are noisy, because youngsters, coaches and most captains are convinced that sound and concentration go together. Presumably, attention spans have shortened. England did try silence once against Waugh, but he quickly sussed that out and simply said: “Oh, I get it, I’ll just have to talk to myself”, which he did for the next five hours.
Waugh can take care of himself and has never been caught sledging. He is a crafty fellow, and when he has something to say, he puts on a helmet and goes to field at silly point. Sometimes it rebounds on him. Certainly, his dislike of India’s captain, Sourav Ganguly, affected his decision-making and was partly responsible for Australia’s extraordinary defeat in Calcutta in 2001 as Waugh set contemptuous fields for his counterpart, whereupon the fightback began. Returning the compliment, Ganguly stood at silly point for Warne, reminded him of his poor performances at Hampshire and his team’s relegation, and laughed as the spinner fell without offering a shot.
This is the way to treat the Australians. Give it straight back. Douglas Jardine, Ganguly and Sri Lanka’s Arjuna Ranatunga succeeded against these opponents because they stood their ground and dared to be unpopular. Teams respond to that sort of leadership.
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Now and then, the Australians take a dislike to somebody and the exchanges can become ugly. Darryl Cullinan, of South Africa, was scorned largely because he had a lot to say and could not back it up with deeds. Still, he did produce one of the better ripostes, responding to Warne’s inquiry about his form since the pair last met by saying: “I’ll be all right. It looks like you’ve spent the last four years eating.”